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Saturday, August 8, 2015

LXG 2015: MVPs

In the first of two pieces reviewing the League of Extraordinary Ghentlemen 2015, we take a look at some of the weekend's star attractions. Although play was of a high standard over the weekend, these players really stood out, and will certainly be ones to watch in the next season.1. Gold Team (‘Manners Maketh Players’): Sash SteeleIt is tempting, perhaps, to name Captain Louis Lermytte as the MVP for his own team. Firmly securing his place as one of Europe’s most talented quaffle players, his speed, strength, and agility were unparalleled at the weekend, and he had an excellent tournament. However, when considering the most valuable player for his team, one simply has to award the title to Sash Steele. After a potentially frustrating season in which she was absent for the Nightmarish Tournament in November 2014, Steele had an incredibly fruitful tournament, making two snitch catches in the championship game to secure overtime and the trophy for her team. With her regular season team, the Leeds Griffins, having a notoriously aggressive beating lineup that could give her a lot of one-on-one snitch opportunities, one can expect her to make a serious mark on the British scene if her team can give her the opportunity to do so next season.

Sash Steele celebrating with her team after catching the snitch in overtime to secure the trophy.
Photo credit: Jelmer Lokman.

2. Red Team (‘Waungwana Nyekundu’): Lisa Tietze

The unpronounceable Red Team (and the reason we have been referring to teams by their colours for this article), was not short of talented players, and were unfortunate not to take home the trophy. Nathan Wilputte led the team well, and made good use of the players on the squad, with Arne Van Bel having another typically successful weekend of seeking in his home city, and Jørgen Helgeland Stenløkk from NTNUI Rumpeldunk proving to be as effective as ever in scoring plenty of hoops. However, the most impressive player on this team was a different NTNUI player - Lisa Tietze. A beater with a vast array of capabilities, her sheer physicality and ruthlessness served her team very well, and allowed plenty of opportunities in front of the hoops for the quaffle carriers. With so few dedicated beaters on this team, Tietze’s impact was vital to ensuring second place for the Red Team, and some more exposure such as this weekend will make her even more of a feared opponent for her rivals.

Lisa Tietze charging down the pitch.
Photo credit: Dirk de Lobel.

3. Grey Team (‘Wilde and Grey’): Renaud MortierIt’s hard, perhaps, to single out one player who really stood out above all other players at the tournament. But, if pushed to do so, Renaud Mortier would be that player. Playing for the relatively underappreciated Crookshanks Lyon during the regular season, one might have been forgiven for overlooking his name on the roster, given the dominance of the Parisian teams in France. But Mortier was absolutely unstoppable in Ghent. Fresh off the back of a triumphant campaign in Sarteano, Mortier’s aggressive and ruthless beating techniques allowed charge after charge from his physically adept teammates (Captain Eli Van den Bulcke, Tom Challinor, and Chayenne Van Meel, to name but a few efficient scorers on a well-balanced team) to break through the opposition defence with little to no bludger resistance. Taking advantage of the lack of communication between beaters on the opposing teams, Mortier would regularly pick off defending beaters unorthodoxly high up the pitch, forming the main thrust of his team’s attack.

There really can only be one name that gets mentioned from the Pink Team, and it is a testament to Seppe de Wit’s remarkable abilities that he remains the most valuable player despite being part of an impressive team. Time and time again, the Deurne Dodo player made his mark on the pitch, with brutally effective runs that simply outmuscled his opponents. Of course, a lot of these wouldn’t have been possible without the impressive beating of Damien Gonze, Caroline Mailleux, Yasmin Baestaens, and an impressive tournament debut from Thomas Ffiske. The importance of this beating game was keenly felt when it had to go up against the supremely talented Mortier in the third place playoff. But it was de Wit’s charges up the pitch that gave the team confidence and his ever-impressive tackles in defence that kept them in control for most of their matches. De Wit goes from strength to strength, and it is hard not to see him dominating the international scene in 2016.

Losing a captain before a tournament is never easy, and losing that captain’s replacement seemed to be an insurmountable obstacle. However, the Black Team can be very happy with its results - although being knocked out after Saturday, the two games it lost were both in snitch range, and it racked up an easy victory against the Blue Team. It is hard not to mention Suzan Vercaemer from the Bruges Bridgebacks, who made a very strong impression with some increasingly confident performances despite it being her first ever set of matches, or Florian Dion, whose fast breaks and confident runs behind the hoops provided ample scoring opportunities. However, perhaps the two most valuable players to this team were Marc Garganté and Noah Vissenberg. Garganté’s pure physicality and sensible direction as a keeper made him a cornerstone of the team’s best performances, spending almost entire games before the hoops, and launching attack after successful attack. Meanwhile Vissenberg will be delighted with their performance, consistently commanding a very organised bludger defence whilst having less than experienced players at their disposal.

Noah Vissenberg's leadership in the beater game made their team a match for the stronger teams at the tournament.
Photo credit: Patricia Heise and Jessica Adrian.

Meanwhile, Marc Garganté's strength gave the team a solid platform up the pitch from which to launch fast breaks.
Photo credit: Dirk de Lobel.

6. Purple Team (‘Blackjack and Hookers’): Hailey ContsThere was a lot of talent in this team, and it was sad to see them not capitalise on it to get through to the second day. Yohan Riquet, from Crookshanks Lyon, brought his wealth of talent to form a strong chasing backbone, supported in his attempts by Nayyar Jamie from the Oxford Quidlings and the surprisingly talented Robert Pearce from the emerging Exeter Patronum. However, by far the most effective player on the pitch was Hailey Clonts, visiting from the distant Stanford Quidditch. A confident and reliable beater, Clonts was a strong anchor for Brian Verbeure to form his team around. It was the team’s lack of scoring ability that ultimately undid them, and Clonts will be happy with a performance that showcased her experience with a bludger.

Hailey Clonts brought a touch of North American experience to her team, leading the bludger game efficiently.
Photo credit: Dirk de Lobel.

7. Green Team (‘The Dragon Slayers’): Rik de Boeck

A disappointing tournament for Jen Hughes’ team saw them exit the proceedings after the first day. A large part of this was due to sheer exhaustion on the part of the beaters; with only four dedicated beaters on the team, one of whom had to worry about captaining, the odds were stacked against them in a tournament where beaters really stood out. However, this did lead to an impressive display from Rik de Boeck, a player for the Leuven Leprechauns. Nursing a knee injury, de Boeck nonetheless provided a firm hand at the back, allowing the more experienced Emily Hayes from the Oxford Quidlings to lead the defence and command the attacks. De Boeck’s reliable nature and ability to keep a cool head proved vital when making a less-than-coherent team adhere to one particular strategy, and he can be pleased with the way he performed during the weekend.

Rik de Boeck communicated effectively with partner Emily Hayes to form an organised bludger strategy.
Photo credit: Dirk de Lobel.

8. Blue Team (‘First Qlass’): Thorsten Ostermeier

Ellen Vander Heyden’s team had a disappointing tournament, being eliminated after three straight losses on Saturday, and even losing the friendly they organised on Sunday. Vander Heyden’s duties in organising the tournament itself may not have helped them on this front. But there were some areas of optimism for their players. Kunal Ramchurn, although clearly getting annoyed at his team’s capitulation, has always been a strong keeper option, and he will return home with a renewed desire to build his skills and become a household name. Similarly, Ben Pooley, whilst best known for their beating, was also given a turn with the quaffle, and proved they were adept at that area of the game too. However, the most impactful player was potentially Thorsten Ostermeier. A chaser from the Frankfurt Mainticores, Ostermeier’s speed and stamina on pitch was impressive, and he formed a valuable spearhead to any attacks mounted. Not present in the German squad at Sarteano, his natural abilities bode well for quidditch in Germany.

Thorsten Ostermeier proved to be a fast and effective offensive chaser, with a lot of raw potential.
Photo credit: Patricia Heise and Jessica Adrian.